Abstract
Relatively little attention has been devoted to the social validation of potentially effective autism interventions. Thus, it is often difficult to identify and implement evidence-based practices, and programming is often inadequate. The authors identified autism intervention components with reported effectiveness for school settings. The results of a social validation survey completed by parents, teachers, and administrators indicate strong, consistent support for program components falling within five functional areas: (a) individualized programming, (b) data collection, (c) the use of empirically-based strategies, (d) active collaboration, and (e) a focus on long-term outcomes. These socially validated interventions can be used to evaluate existing autism curricula and develop training for professionals, parents, and students in order to improve public school autism programs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberto, P. A., & Troutman, A. C. (2006). Applied behavior analysis for teachers (7th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
Arick, J. R., Krug, D. A., Fullerton, A., Loos, L., & Falco, R. (2005). School-based programs. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, & D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (pp. 1003–1028). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Carta, J. J., & Greenwood, C. R. (1997). Barriers to the implementation of effective educational practices for young children with disabilities. In J. W. Lloyd, E. J. Kameenui, & D. Chard (Eds.), Issues in educating students with disabilities (pp. 261–274). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dillman, D. A. (1978). Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method. New York: Wiley.
Doehring, P., & Reichow, B. (2007). Is it evidence-based? Evaluating claims of effectiveness for autism interventions. Paper Presented at the 4th International Conference on Positive Behavior Support, Boston, MA.
Dunlap, G., Kern, L., & Worcester, J. (2001). ABA and academic instruction. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 16, 129–136.
Etscheidt, S. K. (2006). Progress monitoring: Legal issues and recommendations for IEP teams. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 38(3), 56–60.
Ferrante, L., Panerai, S., & Zingale, M. (2002). Benefits of the treatment and education of autistic and communication handicapped children (TEACCH) programme as compared with a non-specific approach. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 46, 318–327.
Green, G. (1996). Evaluating claims about treatments for autism. In C. Maurice, G. Green, & S. C. Luce (Eds.), Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals (pp. 15–28). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Gresham, F. M., Beebe-Frankenberger, M. E., & MacMillan, D. L. (1999). A selective review of treatments for children with autism: Description and methodological considerations. School Psychology Review, 28, 559–575.
Gresham, F. M., Cook, C. R., Crews, S. D., & Kern, L. (2004). Social skills training for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders: Validity considerations and future directions. Behavioral Disorders, 30, 32–46.
Heflin, L. J., & Simpson, R. L. (1998). Interventions for children and youth with autism: Prudent choices in a world of exaggerated claims and empty promises. Part 1. Intervention and treatment option review. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 13, 212–220.
Hardman, M. L., Drew, C. J., & Egan, M. W. (2008). Human exceptionality: School, community, and family (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Henson, R. K. (2001). Understanding internal consistency reliability estimates: A conceptual primer on coefficient alpha. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 34, 177–189.
Henson, R. K. (2006). Effect size measures and meta-analytic thinking in counseling psychology research. The Counseling Psychologist, 34, 601–629.
Iovannone, R., Dunlap, G., Huber, H., & Kincaid, D. (2003). Effective educational practices for students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disorders, 18, 150–165.
Ivey, J. K. (2007). Outcomes for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: What is important and likely according to teachers? Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 42, 3–13.
Kauffman, J. M. (1996). Research to practice issues. Behavioral Disorders, 22, 55–60.
Kazdin, A. E. (1977). Assessing the clinical or applied significance of behavior change through social validation. Behavior Modification, 1, 427–452.
Kazdin, A. E. (1981). Acceptability of child treatment techniques: The influences of treatment efficacy and adverse side effects. Behavior Therapy, 12, 493–506.
Kern, L., & Manz, P. (2004). A look at current validity issues of school-wide behavior support. Behavioral Disorders, 30, 47–59.
Lloyd, J. W., & Heubusch, J. D. (1996). Issues of social validation in research on serving individuals with emotional or behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 22, 8–14.
Maurice, C., Green, G., & Luce, S. C. (Eds.) (1996). Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
Nelson, C. M. (1988). Behavior analysis in the 1980s. In R. B. Rutherford, C. M. Nelson, & S. Forness (Eds.), Bases of severe behavioral disorders in children and youth (pp. 63–73). Boston: Little Brown & Co.
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Odom, S. L., Brown, W. H., & Frey, T. (2003). Evidence-based practices for young children with autism: Contributions for single-subject design research. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 166–175.
Rogers, S. J. (1998). Empirically supported comprehensive treatments for young children with autism. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 168–179.
Scheuermann, B., & Webber, J. (Eds.) (2002). Autism: Teaching does make a difference. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Scott, T. M. (2007). Issues of personal dignity and social validity in schoolwide systems of positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 9, 102–112.
Simpson, R. L. (2005). Evidence-based practices and students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20, 140–149.
Wilczynski, S. M. (2007). The National Standards Project: Using evidence-based practice to create environments in which individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders can succeed. Paper Presented at the 4th International Conference on Positive Behavior Support, Boston, MA.
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 203–214.
Yell, M. L., Drasgow, E., & Lowrey, K. A. (2005). No Child Left Behind and students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20, 130–139.
Yell, M. L., Katsiyannis, A., Drasgow, E., & Herbst, M. (2003). Developing legally correct and educationally appropriate programs for students with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 182–191.
Yell, M. L., Katsiyannas, A., & Shiner, J. G. (2006). The No Child Left Behind Act, adequate yearly progress, and students with disabilities. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 38(4), 32–39.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. We thank Ms. Barbi Longbrake for her invaluable assistance in data collection and formulating the I.D.E.A.L categories as a UNT College of Education Developing Scholar.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Callahan, K., Henson, R.K. & Cowan, A.K. Social Validation of Evidence-Based Practices in Autism by Parents, Teachers, and Administrators. J Autism Dev Disord 38, 678–692 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0434-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0434-9